Senate Rejects Measure To Delay 'Path To Citizenship'

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer from the Office of Field Operations watches in February as people cross from Mexico into the United States at Nogales, Ariz.

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Originally published on June 13, 2013 12:36 pm

The Senate has defeated a Republican measure that would have blocked implementation of a "path to citizenship" for undocumented workers until after the U.S.-Mexico border has been deemed secure for a period of six months.

The amendment to the larger overhaul of U.S. immigration law was sponsored by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. It was defeated Thursday in a 57-43 vote.

Opponents argued the amendment would delay for years the path to citizenship that has become a centerpiece of the legislation, which Senate sponsors hope to approve by July 4.

Republican Rep. Paul Ryan predicted Wednesday that the GOP-controlled House would approve the path to citizenship — the key sticking point in the immigration overhaul — despite opposition from conservatives.

"... a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators say, the legislation will generate enough momentum to overcome resistance from opponents on the right who blast it as a veiled 'amnesty' for those who crossed the border illegally.

"Ryan, an influential conservative, lent support to those hopes. He told an audience in Washington assembled by the pro-reform National Association of Manufacturers that 'earned legalization is an issue I think the House can and will deal with.' "